A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and many others are lost in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to Europe capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations aimed at limiting illegal migration.
